July: to mask or not to mask?

It was refreshing to be able to sit in the garden, however briefly, last Sunday when we were blessed with some sunshine again. The wildlife area has taken something of a battering from the wind and the rain, but is surviving and the bees are buzzing busily on the clover that has been left to grow on the lawn. Currently we are unsure whether we need to wear a mask or not in the shops - not that we have rushed to go out shopping - but I have bought a pair of face coverings from a shop on Etsy to be prepared, one for me and one for my husband. Roy has been to a few shops in search of items required for vintage motorcycle projects and we took my car for an MOT and service last week - it's Roy's car's turn this week.
Our lunches can now be embellished with crops from the garden as some of our spring onions and rocket salad are ready to be harvested. My husband always has a sandwich with (vegan) yoghurt (added strawberries from the garden) and I have a salad of some sort; here is is a peppery salad leaves salad with peas, cabbage and  sweet potato mash:

At the weekend we usually both have the same on a Saturday night which is vegan pizza with chips or vegetable chips (me) and quite often also a salad from the garden or Abel & Coles, with fruit or a fruit crumble if I have made one - recently we have had nectarine or peach crumble with either blackberries of blackcurrants (from the garden) whih make a change from the usual apple. As I have frozen quite a lot of apples and pears during the last month or two (just in case) I have plenty to draw on should I feel like baking. I also have accumulated many bags of flour and oats, including bread flour so I feel prepared, in case of a siege, which hopefully won't be coming. I must explain that my husband isn't vegan, as I am, but because he has a problem with his cholesterol levels and so some of the dairy free options have come in quite useful.

As I was unusually busy with orders from all three Etsy shops I didn't quite manage to finish George Eliot's 'Mill on the Floss' for the appointed online Book Circle online meeting but managed to find a few things to say from memories of the story (possibly televised) and George Eliot's style, recalled from struggling with Daniel Deronda (required degree course set text) in a previous existence!

We have also watched 'The Luminaries' on BBC1, which was more interesting than the usual fare on television, from the historical novel by Eleanor Catton, and films Bad Education, Surburbicon, Reservoir Dogs (!), Passengers, The Goldfinch (I read the book by Donna Tarte a few years ago) and Mr Jones, of which two were based on true stories. We also enjoyed Staged with David Tenant and Michael Sheen (plus guests); Jodie Comer's Talking Heads episode; The Young Montalbano and have just started watching The Durrells which we somehow missed the first time round.

I am also reading Life on Exmoor by Hope L Bourne, originally published in the 1960s, in which she uses delightful language to describe the nature and wildlife that she saw around her whilst helping out on a working farm.

I have a few more Folio Society books to add to RedRococoGarden from the stash but still have quite a number that I saved as drafts earlier to add 'live'. Here are a couple of piles of the latest additions:

And a few more yet to be listed:

We are getting quite adventurous and have booked online for a visit to a National Gardens Scheme garden near Tetbury, Gloucestershire, not too far from us, so that will be different. The participants in the Scheme donate all proceedings to their chosen charity which last year was Marie Curie cancer care and to some bursaries. Obviously we have to observe social distancing and I'm not sure whether the (sometimes) provided cups of tea etc will be available, but presumably the wearing of face coverings will be optional as we will be outside.

Update: the rocket salad has some sort of blight but the spring onions are still doing well and I have enough basil plants to supply the entire village!

Stay safe and enjoy your reading,

Julie